Career Path
by Ricardo
Summary: For a young man ready to leave the nest, Shinra provides many high paying and exciting careers...if you can trust them. Barret Wallace cameo.


Career Path

Darian Provnos stood on the seawall, beneath the giant cannon that loomed above, gazing at the setting sun. The adult phase of his life was soon to begin, and Darian didn't know exactly how to proceed. Shinra Incorporated was always a possibility. A number of good paying jobs awaited anyone willing to enter into government service. Darian, being a seventeen year-old male, would probably be evaluated as SOLDIER material. While the scant possibility of working under Sephiroth was certainly exciting, Darian wasn't sure he liked the idea of his life being in the hands of Shinra. After all, Darian's father lost his life mining Materia.

Incidents like that would serve to infuriate most young men. But Darian's perspective was a mature one. Working in the Materia mines was dangerous work, Shinra or not. Especially on Mt. Nibel, where Wilhelm Provnos worked for twelve years. Certainly, Darian had heard all of the rumors. _Shinra is performing unethical biological experiments on Mt. Nibel. Shinra's working conditions are inexcusably unsafe. Long-term exposure to Materia resulted in Mako poisoning._

Darian wasn't one to buy into speculation. His father was dead and that's all he knew for a fact. If he ever learned more - well, perhaps that would be the proper time for retribution. His mother, Christa, saw things differently. The last time Darian and Christa spoke to one another was almost two years ago - a few days after Wilhelm Provnos plunged to his death on Mt. Nibel.

The discussion had been a heated one, at least on Christa's part. Darian was deliberately pacing around the kitchen table, where his mother sat. To only see them talking, and not actually hear the conversation, one might think Darian was a pimply interrogator.

It began so innocently. "Well, I 'd like to stay here, if there's a good job around," Darian said, almost to himself. "I like it here - it's small and quiet, I can fish a little, and I've got friends here."

Christa smiled softly at that. Every other boy in town wanted to go either to Midgar or Costa del Sol when it was their time to find work. "Maybe you could work at one of the shops in Upper Junon," she offered.

"Maybe. I don't know how well they pay, though. Hopefully, that'll clear itself up in a couple of years. I've got some time to think about it."

"What do you want to do? What sort of job do you want?"

Darian paused. What do you want to do? The million gil question. _What does anyone want to do? Race Chocobos? Those guys make money. Breed Chocobos? They make even more money. Be Rufus Shinra, son of the President? He makes millions and does nothing. What the hell - for that matter, be the President!_

Darian chuckled. That's never an easy question to answer.

"What's so funny?"

Darian smiled. "President. I want to be the President."

"And you find this amusing."

Darian looked up, his smile faded. His mother wore pain.

"What?" He asked, modestly exasperated.

"How could you even CONSIDER working for them?"

"I was just joking-"

"You can't possibly joke like that! They killed your father!"

That did it. Darian, though calm and even-tempered far beyond his years, was still a young man, still susceptible to losing his cool. And his mother, through a histrionic outburst, had put him on the defensive.

"Were you there? Did you see him die?" Darian asked, returning serve.

While he asked, she got up and headed straight for her bedroom, too upset to continue. "I can't believe what I'm hearing...," she said, a cry entering her voice.

Darian wasn't through. "If the money's there, I'll join up with Shinra. Dad did," he said with a loud voice, hoping to be heard down the hall.

Christa regained enough composure to face her traitor son once more and tell him off. "Fine. Do what you have to do," she said with a firm tone and a tear streaming down her cheek. "In fact, you can stay here as long as you need to. But I can't ever again speak to someone who could turn his back on his family."

Darian opened his mouth to make another point, but she wasn't done.

"And if you really think you want to work for them, well, then I wish you a lot of luck."

---

Luck. Whatever skills Darian would need to enter employment, luck was not one of them. He literally had luck. On his twelfth birthday, Darian received a special gift from his father.

"Open it," his father said, his voice betraying excitement. His voice also gave away something else - Wilhelm Provnos never quite got rid of his accent, an accent common to natives of Icicle Inn. Just another little nuance which endeared Darian to his father even more.

It was a small, wooden box with a hinged lid. An unadorned box which would no doubt go ignored in any house full of decorative items. The thought that Darian might have missed it through all those years passed through his mind as he tried to open the box with a measure of restraint. Trying to locate the box through recall didn't work out, but he did get the box open.

Materia.

The purple orb, one inch in diameter, sat in the center of the box, fitting perfectly. In Darian's twelve-year old universe, this was the beginning and the end of everything. The fact that one person could control a small part of the entire life force of the planet...well, it made him feel like a man.

Exuberance being one indicator, Darian was still very much a child. "Dad! Where did you, - how d-did you...wow!" The circumstances dictated that Darian Provnos stutter for the first time in his young life, his eyes never leaving the violet sphere. He continued to examine it, his emotions slowly returning to their former levels. Darian sincerely appreciated the wonderful gift, but it was brand new Materia. He knew that only mature Materia gave competitors a realistic chance at Battle Arena. Materia still had to be equipped into a weapon and could only grow with experience. Darian's experience. A twelve-year old boy had no experience. He had no weapon. He had no mature Materia.

He had not looked up, either.

"But dad, how should I -" Glancing at his father, Darian's sentence would never be finished. The rest of his gift was in the right hand of Wilhelm Provnos. He held a six-foot cylindrical staff, crafted from Mythril, with a single slot for Materia in the center. Each eighteen-inch long section of padding at both ends of the staff were twice the two-inch diameter of the three-foot long middle section.

Darian almost dropped the Materia.

"OH MY GOD!"

"What do you think? I think this little beauty could give those Battle Arena fellows a real run for their money, myself."

Well, not exactly, but the weapon was perfect for Darian's purposes. Perfectly proportioned for a young but growing boy, the staff was very well balanced. The young Provnos quickly jammed the Materia into the staff and, in a manner expressive of all the gratitude he surely felt, sprinted outside with the weapon. Over time, Darian would learn that the Materia was Luck Materia. Science really couldn't explain how, but his father's gift boosted his luck.

---

Noting his surroundings for the first time in a while, Darian saw that it was dark now. He would return home. His mother would be asleep by now, but he had to return quietly. In recent weeks, their battle of wills precluded even crossing paths. Darian chuckled the tragic thought away, speculating on how much his mother must have changed since the last time he saw her.

Mid-morning arrived and Darian rose from slumber. Christa was already gone, as expected. Even in the absence of communication, certain protocols were observed. Christa would get up and leave early, before Darian woke up. In exchange, Darian would come in later, after his mother fell asleep. Despite the maneuvering, both parties were still being mother and son to each other. Darian did his best to keep the house in working order, often making repairs or maintaining the lawn while Christa was at work during the day. For her part, Christa would cook delicious meals for two after a long day on the job. On those evenings, if Darian happened to be home, she would sometimes leave a plate at his door, "accidentally" making noise to bring him out to a hot meal. Really, it was quite apparent that Christa had forgiven her son and that Darian was sorry for being insensitive. But a conflict in principle between the stubborn often becomes irrevocable law.

Of late, Darian would wake up reflecting on the rift between himself and his mother. However, on this particular morning Darian was thinking about something else entirely. For all practical purposes, this would be the last time Darian got together with the Junon All-Spars. The All-Spars were Darian Provnos, Sylvain Catalan, Lajos Johanssen, Fabiola Mercado, and Thadeus Bielstein. All of them were good friends and destined to never see each other again. Not collectively, anyway.

Sylvain and Lajos had already committed to Shinra. In a week, they would be in Midgar, hoping to pass rigorous SOLDIER testing. Sylvain was a shoo-in. Sylvain wasn't merely some young man in very good physical condition. Sylvain came from a distinguished military family who just seemed to have an inherent knowledge of several styles of hand-to-hand combat. His father and grandfather were highly decorated veterans of past wars, from times which preceded Shinra's existence as a corporate government. He basically taught the other All-Spars how to fight. At sixteen, Sylvain had gone to Battle Arena and defeated five opponents. WITHOUT Materia. Eight years ago, Sylvain's family moved from Mideel to settle in Junon Harbor. He and Darian met at school and became fast friends. Their friendship in recent times was not what it had been; Darian saw Sylvain's growing self-importance (and that was due to his amazing hand-to-hand abilities) getting in the way, but Darian and Sylvain were still somewhat close and Darian was genuinely sorry to see him go.

Lajos, on the other hand, was going to have trouble getting in. Although very big and strong, on his best day Lajos was slow and lacked coordination. Unfortunately, this wasn't his biggest problem. Lajos loved to laugh and tell jokes, but his friendly disposition and undisciplined manner probably wasn't very SOLDIER-like. Lajos was the kind of guy who didn't dislike anybody. No one wanted to tell him, but every last All-Spar felt Lajos just wasn't a fighter at heart. He won his share of matches, usually due to the one big punch no one else in the group could provide. Shinra would no doubt love his physical gifts, so they would make room for him one way or another. If Sylvain, with his thinly veiled cockiness, would be missed, Darian felt like he was losing a brother with Lajos leaving.

Thadeus was perhaps unfairly known as the hanger on. Lajos liked him, but that was just Lajos. Darian had always been wary of Thadeus, and Sylvain seemed to hold Thadeus in complete disdain at times. Sylvain swore up and down that Thadeus spread rumors about him around town. Darian was honest enough to admit that he didn't care for Thadeus because of simple jealousy.

Thadeus had long been friends with Fabiola.

Fabiola was the glue of the entire group, even more than Lajos. Darian and Sylvain were friends for a long time, Lajos proved to be a better friend to Darian than Sylvain was, and everyone tolerated Thadeus because of Fabiola. She was every teenage boy's dream: uncommonly beautiful, funny, warm and friendly, and a real ass kicker. When the All-Spars got together to fight, she'd win her share of matches and took a back seat to no one - except Sylvain, of course.

Relatively speaking, Thadeus and Fabiola were newcomers. Six years ago, they and many other residents of Costa del Sol were forced out of town. Shinra decided that Costa would be more attractive to tourists if "lower bracket citizens" (Shinra's term) didn't inhabit it. Families that had roots in Costa for generations were unceremoniously shipped out, with Thadeus' and Fabiola's families moving to Junon Harbor.

Things have an odd way of resolving themselves. Fabiola, at that time still much more girl than young woman, went quietly unnoticed among the other children of Junon Harbor, with only Thadeus as company. Thadeus, unfortunately, received plenty of attention from the other kids. Most young children exist in an environment, similar to that of nature, which necessitates survival. To put it simply, some children are predators, some others are prey. Thadeus, then a studious, serious, and quiet kid with an offputting aura, was prey and picked on mercilessly. Fabiola represented someone he could talk to, help him cope with his predicament. But she offered him something else, too. His run-ins with the other kids weren't restricted to verbal assaults. The crueler kids in town, intent on showing their friends how wimpy the new Costa guy was, beat him up from time to time. Aside from offering him moral support, Fabiola showed Thadeus how to defend himself. She taught him everything she knew, everything her father had taught her: basic short sword forms, a few special holds, defensive techniques, and standard fighting stances. Neither one of them would keep Sephiroth awake at night, but eventually the beatings stopped. Fabiola, who had been very popular in Costa, had in Thadeus someone she knew to help her acclimatize. The two became friends. As they grew older, each of them became more popular with their peers. Fabiola did because of the development of her stunning good looks. Thadeus did because he was a close friend to Fabiola.

It was during Thadeus' "training" that Darian, Sylvain, and Lajos, sparring with each other, met Fabiola and Thadeus. Very shortly thereafter, the Junon All-Spars were born. And on nearly every weekend for the past four years, they have gathered on the beaches of Junon Harbor, usually sparring, honing skills, seeking improvement. On rare occasions, today being one, they would actually fight.

Darian was absently running through his forms when he spotted Fabiola slowly walking toward him at the opposite end of the beach. What an amazing sight she was: gently tanned luminescent skin, exceptional height (only Lajos, standing nearly two meters tall, surpassed her among the All-Spars), long, dark, flowing hair, light gray eyes with a hint of blue in them, and a physique of such exact beauty the greatest artisans in all the world could not hope to sculpt it.

Her expression seemed to communicate everything Darian had been thinking about all morning long. Her walk was slow, as if the inevitable would never come to pass should she decide not to show up. Her katana hung loose in her left hand, her protective gear bundled up and tucked away in her right arm. She wanted to smile warmly at Darian for their friendship, but could not. She wanted to cry for the finality of it all but could not. She had to settle for a basic blank face. To her mind, this was an absurd way for five great friends to say goodbye. _We've beaten the hell out of each other for four years; couldn't we just go to a restaurant?_ But if everyone else wanted this, she would make a go of it.

"Fabulosa!" Darian said with a lightness he didn't feel. What he did feel was a need to take Fabiola to the west coast of the Western Continent and start a new life. Darian could fish, and...well, what would she do? With her radiant glamour and wealth of talents, Darian knew Fabiola couldn't give herself to a mere fisherman. She belonged to the whole world. Fabiola was bound for Midgar in a quest to succeed in the entertainment industry starting tomorrow.

Darian and Fabiola dropped their gear and embraced tightly. It was a stirring dress rehersal of the farewell hug they would share all too soon.

"I'm gonna miss you, Dari. I'm gonna miss us. I'm gonna miss me, Dari," Fabiola said in a weakening voice, tears beginning to flow.

"You just be who you've always been, Fabs. Everyone's gonna know..." He couldn't finish the sentence. Darian was choking up.

Two massive arms embraced and encircled both Darian and Fabiola.

"Lajos!" cried Fabiola, her mood lifting.

"L.J.!" Darian yelled. He felt better already.

"WHAT'S! UP!" Lajos shouted in a gruff voice, his trademark greeting. "Were you two watching _Loveless_ again?"

Fabiola laughed hard, even though she'd heard the joke before. Darian turned red. He was the only guy, in a class field trip to Midgar to watch a production of _Loveless_, to cry at the end. A year later, the jokes kept on coming.

"Good thing you're not fighting me today, Laj. I was gonna show you a new play - _Painful_. Believe me, you would've cried at the end," Darian playfully challenged.

"Buddy, we can change the schedule whenever you want!" Lajos jabbed back.

To spend more time with each other, everyone agreed to fight just one grudge match. The point was to even a lifetime score, or settle one. For example, Darian and Sylvain fought five times, with a win each and three draws.

"How are you, L.J.?" Fabiola asked, returning the hug without Darian's help. Fabiola seemed to have forgotten her melancholy feelings with the effervescent Lajos around.

"Ms. Fabbi, I am delightful. But I won't be, after today," Lajos sighed, seeming to catch whatever was afflicting Fabiola. It seemed to hit him, right then and there, what was going to happen.

"Don't be sad, Lajos! I'm gonna start crying if you're sad!" Fabiola said. "Just - can we forget about this 'last day together' stuff until tonight?"

"I don't know," Darian interjected. "Maybe it doesn't have to be the last time. Maybe we could just forget about all these commitments and open up a Materia shop."

Lajos turned to his left, now facing Fabiola, who had turned to her right. They faced forward again, looking at Darian. Their faces were portraits of incredulity.

"A Materia shop -"

"Aren't there already enough of -"

" - dumbest idea you've ever had -"

" - how much Materia do we have to master -"

" - since when are you spontaneous -"

"ALL RIGHT!" Darian finally stopped them. Lajos' and Fabiola objections came at such a fast pace he didn't hear one - only bits and pieces. He was glad that his dubious idea got everyone off the subject of today being the last day together. "I guess you don't like the idea."

"Don't get me wrong. I like it fine. Except that I think we'd make a lot more gil fighting Mako kids," Lajos said. His term "Mako kids" pertained to the weird mutations roaming the planet. Shinra had millions of gil at the ready for anyone willing to risk taking on the kids. It was the most elaborate pest control system ever devised: Shinra had satellites constantly scanning for Mako kids - different breeds of monsters had different cellular signatures, and the satellites monitored those. Whenever a monster was killed, that cellular signature was eliminated from the scan and a second scan would search for an attacker. If the scan revealed that the attacker had a Shinra ID transponder, the amount of gil offered for that creature would be directly deposited into that person's Shinra ID account. No fuss, no haggling, no nothing. It was great incentive for a very dangerous job.

"And I'd make more gil betting on Sylvain to beat me today," Darian offered. The word "fighting" reminded him of the impossible task facing him today.

Fabiola suddenly remembered Darian's lifetime score against Sylvain. "Hey Dar, how have you fought so well against him?"

"My Luck Materia. He's way better than me - or anyone else here," Darian said humbly.

_It was true_, Darian thought. _Sylvain mopped the floor with everybody else. And would probably do the same to me._ Darian pressed his palm against the surface of the slotted Luck Materia as if acknowledging its contribution to his success.

"Speak of the devil," Lajos grinned.

Sylvain was upon them quickly. A true warrior, patient in battle, does everything else hurriedly and on his terms. _He probably won't even say a long goodbye_, Darian thought.

"Hey, everyone - Fabiola," Sylvain greeted with a flourish.

_Typical Syl. Greets her by name, talks to us like we're devoted fans of his. I'll miss him, but his act is wearing thin._ Darian was angry. He felt guilty for his anger, but then he stole a look at Fabiola. She appeared as if she was eating up Sylvain's little show. _Has he changed? Have I changed? Have we both? Or have we just been friends for too long?_ Darian couldn't answer any of the questions. But the term "lifelong friend" isn't in too many people's lexicons, so perhaps Darian and Sylvain did need a little time away from each other.

"Hey. Where's Thad at?" Somehow, Sylvain was the first one to mention his name. And he was supposed to dislike Thadeus.

"He'll be along, Syl. He just has a few things to do. I talked to him right before I left. Give him another thirty minutes or so," Fabiola replied.

"Oh well. Hey Provnos - what say we do this without Materia?" Sylvain asked, hoping against hope for an affirmative.

"Hey Catalan - what say you shut the hell up?" Darian responded playfully. Lajos and Fabiola burst into laughter. Darian's delivery was impeccable.

"Alright, alright," smiling, Sylvain quickly relented, his hope for a level playing field dashed. He had one orb of Materia in both attack gloves, but it was relatively useless Materia. In his right hand, he had a rather new Sense Materia, in his left, he had a fairly experienced Counter Attack Materia. Sylvain was better at counterattack without the Materia. Counter Attack, in one of those inexplicable ways, transformed the user's physiology somewhat. If a chance to counter came up during battle, Sylvain without the Materia would invariably counter correctly; With the Materia, Sylvain would sometimes counter where no opportunity existed, and would fail to counter in the most favorable situations. The other All-Spars were surprised Sylvain used the Counter Attack Materia at all.

"It's too bad, Dar. This Sense Materia will probably finish you off. I just wanted to save you from it's wrath," Sylvain joked.

Darian grinned. "Well, I can't say you didn't warn me."

"Dari - have you decided yet? What you're gonna do?" Fabiola inquired.

"The last time I talked to my mom, she asked me the same thing," Darian said, regret seeping into his voice. "I have no more of a clue now than I did then."

"Hey - don't worry about it. It'll happen one day," Lajos encouraged.

"I know. I'll just take something around here until I decide for real," said Darian.

"No no no. I mean talk to your mom," Lajos cracked. "What, you get a job?"

Everyone laughed. What a gift Lajos had. An unfortunate battle of wills between mother and son and he finds a tactful way to joke about it.

"Laj, the way it's going with mom, I'll probably have a job first!"

---

"Commander Laszlo - we might have a problem, sir."

In the control room of the Sister Ray, Commander Thierry Laszlo paced. Even after hearing the technician speak, Laszlo paced a bit more.

"What do you mean, 'might'? What is it, Bellon?" Laszlo concluded his pace by hovering over the seated technician.

Bellon suddenly felt flustered. He hated when Laszlo did this. President Shinra could have stood over his shoulder and he wouldn't have even noticed. But Laszlo, perpetually nervous, seemed to infect everyone with his condition.

"I - I - mean...If you could just..." Bellon stammered and pushed his chair back from the desk, hoping Laszlo would get the hint.

"Oh," Laszlo coolly replied, walking a step back and to his right. He seemed to understand.

Bellon was composed again. "Just by chance, sir, I happened to run a files diagnostic."

"Files diagnostic - that's when you...uh..." Laszlo fished around, hoping he could remember. He didn't want some nobody technician to demonstrate more knowledge than he. "...the, uh, program that diagnoses the system files...of course."

Bellon was shaking from suppressing a laugh and took another moment to resume speaking. "Well sir, it's a program that shows if any files were viewed, printed, or copied, from which terminal, at what times those tasks were done."

Laszlo was chagrined. "That's what I said."

"And it seems, sir, about twenty minutes ago, some...critical files were downloaded."

"Which files?"

"Schematic blueprints of Mako reactors, location of every Mako reactor in the world. Sir."

Laszlo frowned. He should have seen this coming. Today was the final day of Dolphin Days, a Junon tradition spanning two hundred years. Anti-establishment types always pick holidays to pull off some operation. Then again, was Shinra going to throw extra gil for extra security on some local holiday? Not with its arrogant overestimation of its military forces.

"How long ago, Bellon? Which terminal?"

"Program shows twenty minutes ago, terminal six."

Laszlo grabbed a microphone. "Pierce - need two units at the elevator shaft."

Bellon couldn't contain himself completely. "Sir, terminal six is the underwater reactor," he said with a laugh.

Laszlo raised an eyebrow at Bellon, but picked up the microphone.

"Uh, Pierce? - Go ahead and set those units in the reactor hallway," Laszlo ordered. Putting the mic down, he faced his technician, saying, "You know, you're a pretty sharp guy."

Bellon smiled.

---

Barret Wallace walked casually toward the exit, though he was still a long way from it. His right arm in a cast to hide his gun attachment, he wore an orange jumpsuit with a "Shinra, Inc. - Maintenance Division" logo on the back. A bag hung over his left arm, ostensibly to carry his tools. The bag held the disk with the reactor data. It took every bit of restraint he had to refrain from obtaining the files by force, but he would have never left Junon alive had he tried. Using stealth, his mission was nearly complete. The minute he left Junon, a Mountain/River Chocobo would whisk him away, back to Sector 7 in Midgar.

_Goddamn sneakin' around. I need ta get me somebody who likes this stuff. I just wanna blast the #!$# out of #!$# Shinra._ Barret was bitter about this particular mission, but he really couldn't trust anyone else in his fledgling group to accomplish the mission.

Halfway down the hall, a lone Shinra soldier was moments from switching the alarm.

"#!$#," Barret muttered to himself.

---

Darian somehow was talking to Fabiola alone. Sylvain and Lajos were engaged in some ludicrous discussion about whether Sylvain could defeat Sephiroth.

"What are you thinking about, Fabs?"

"My dad. I haven't seen him in years. Since we left Costa."

Darian could sympathize. It had to be difficult when a parent chooses to leave you. His own father had no choice, no say about when he left his family; His mother...well, she and Darian both chose that course.

"Why didn't he come with you to Junon?"

Fabiola was looking at her feet. "He didn't want to leave Costa. You know he designs and builds weapons. But the market for that here is saturated. So he opened up a shop near Gongaga - you know, he couldn't stay in Costa - but he doesn't have to cross an ocean to get to Costa from where he is now."

Darian was puzzled. "I just can't understand. I mean, I like Costa too, but leaving your family?"

Fabiola looked up at Darian, sounding much older now. "I don't get it, either."

"But why -"

Thadeus came sprinting up, looking hurried and panicked, like something was dreadfully wrong.

"Guys. I was down by the weapon shop - I asked Mr. Baynes if we could fight there today - you know, since there's a lot of people walking around we'd get a little extra -"

"What are you getting at?" Sylvain was ever impatient.

"...Oh yeah. Anyway, the alarms started going off. I think something's happening!"

"Let's go see!" Sylvain shouted.

---

Barret Wallace was in a full sprint, twelve Shinra troops trailing in pursuit. His quick plan almost worked. He stunned the trooper who was attempting to engage the alarm. He then squeezed into his uniform, pressed the alarm himself, and made up a quick tale to the arriving troops. Everything had almost worked - until his Deathblow Materia fell out of his still concealed Gatling Gun. An alert trooper, remembering that his colleagues weren't allowed to carry Materia, ran to inform the squad headed for the underwater reactor. They were en route to stop the man Barret described to them.

_If I don't find a quick way out of here_, Barret thought, _AVALANCHE will perish. And that can't happen._

Barret was almost out of Lower Junon. He remembered a small series of hallways that led to the elevator shaft that led to Junon Harbor. He could only hope that his memory was accurate. If not, the doorway that he thought was the elevator could be the door to trooper quarters. With no other way out.

His legs were starting to hurt, his lungs were burning. _This is a long #!$# run!_

Two shots whizzed by his left shoulder. They were gaining on him.

---

The streets of Junon Harbor were packed for Dolphin Days. Street vendors, entertainers, passers-by, residents - a throng of people crowded the streets. Dolphin Days was a big deal. But all of them had come to a stop when the alarms rang out. All eyes were on the elevator door, where a trooper guarded it somewhat diligently.

"What do you think it is?" Thadeus asked to no one in particular.

"They're probably about use the cannon on some bird violating Shinra's airspace," Lajos muttered. No one knew why he was going to SOLDIER training. He seemed to hate Shinra more than anyone.

"I don't think -" Fabiola stopped. The door was opening.

The guard walked cautiously inside. No one seemed to be around.

Then he was hit from above.

The guard fell backwards onto the ground, dropping his rifle. Barret Wallace had been at the top of the shaft, waiting to literally get the drop on him. Shinra troops were suckers for this kind of tactic. Barret put him down for the count with a big-time backhand.

Barret began running again, but the large crowd made maneuvering difficult. Still, he felt better than he had in a while. The crowd could work to his advantage. He'd be harder to spot in it, and troops wouldn't risk hitting bystanders just to get to him.

_Well_, Barret thought, _can't count on that last part._

In the clearing that led into town, Barret could see his getaway Chocobo, grazing comfortably. It was just a matter of time.

Three troopers dropped into the elevator, firing away. There were four others left. Barret took down five, trying to hold them off while the elevator descended a short time ago.

Some people standing nearest the elevator took shots from the Shinra troops. Even then, the crowd couldn't disperse quickly enough.

"This has to stop!" Sylvain cried, moving toward the action.

"Sylvain! No!" Darian yelled, trying to grab him, but Sylvain was too quick. He headed for the three troopers firing into the crowd.

Barret's meandering path took him near to where the All-Spars stood. Some people moved past, jostling Darian and his weapon.

He felt the Materia drop out of it.

Darian searched quickly for the Materia, spotted it near the boots of a bystander. He reached down, grabbed it, and looking up, he saw who was in those boots.

Barret Wallace.

"Kid - let me have that...Please," Barret pleaded.

Darian was at a crossroads. _Obviously, this large man with the gun-arm was involved in something criminal. But something in his face says he isn't a criminal. But why would law enforcement -_

A gunshot violently derailed his train of thought.

Most of the bystanders had parted by now, giving Darian a clear view of the horror transpiring before him.

Two more Shinra troops were down. Next to them was the form of Sylvain Catalan, doubled up on the ground, blood spilling from his gaping stomach wound. He screamed for mercy, bawling, heaving, quivering, the very picture of a boy in the caught in the throes of a painful death.

"Oh my god..." Fabiola gasped numbly.

Lajos looked down, his face contorting in pain. Thadeus turned away, unable to speak.

The remaining Shinra troops, six in all (Commander Pierce had caught up to them), started forward toward the All-Spars and Barret.

"Kid...PLEASE."

Darian handed the Materia over. Barret jammed it into his gun arm and headed for the edge of town, eager to leave.

But three of the troops had outflanked Barret and guarded the only way out of Junon Harbor. Commander Pierce and the other two guarded the elevator. Barret had nowhere to run.

"If you actually made it to trial, you would be found guilty for the deaths of Junon citizens, Shinra troops, and the theft of classified Shinra property. You would be identified in court as an enemy of the state. But you're not going to trial. I have already found you guilty," Pierce said smugly. He seemed to enjoy this.

"Ready!" Pierce raised his weapon. The two troopers accompanying him did the same.

"Aim!" Barret to face the town exit. The three troopers there had their guns raised to him.

"SHINRA BASTARDS!" Barret yelled.

"FIRE!"

But Barret Wallace had dropped to the ground already. Four Shinra troops were hit with friendly fire. Gunfire that passed through the spot where Barret Wallace had been standing just before his last moment dive. Pierce looked shocked.

Wasting no time, Barret rolled, got up, ran to the edge of town, and mounted his Chocobo. The large, flightless bird galloped away, headed in the direction of the Mythril Mines.

_My Materia...my Materia did that_, Darian thought with a sense of awe and pride. _No way he should have lived through that._

Pierce knew that, too. He stormed over to where Darian stood. Darian, panicked, backpedaled and frantically searched around for his friends; Lajos, Thadeus, and Fabiola had disappeared. Pierce set quickly upon Darian, furious.

"That one-arm bandit doesn't escape me WITHOUT THAT MATERIA! THE MATERIA YOU GAVE HIM!" Pierce was screaming in Darian's face. "However, I'm still in a decent mood today," he continued, thrusting the gun into Darian's face, "So I'm gonna kill you quickly, you little #!$#!"

Pierce paused, looking Darian in the face before pulling the trigger.

Darian dropped.

So did Pierce, his face a bloody mess full of shrapnel. He was dead before he hit the ground. His firearm imploded.

The last surviving trooper fled into the elevator, clearly spooked. He was still in one piece and wanted to keep it that way.

Darian was sob-breathing, stunned and overwhelmed by everything that happened. A good friend was dead. Dead by the corrupt, evil hand of Shinra. He reflexively clutched at his staff in the center, where the Materia usually rests.

And still did.

Darian looked at it, to confirm the impossible. And it was there. A purple orb, an inch in diameter, resting in its slot, as always.

Darian fell backwards, into rest.

---

He didn't remember being taken into someone's home. He didn't remember who's home it was. He didn't remember leaving it. He was fairly certain it all happened, though.

Darian Provnos stood in Baynes' Materia Shop, gazing out the window at the town square where his life changed forever. A first-hand encounter with Shinra had made his career choice for him. He would seek out one of the rebel groups opposing Shinra. An organization so evil and arbitrary must be stopped. He felt guilty about even considering working for Shinra. He felt guilty for thinking his father's death might be due to anything but Shinra's neglect. He didn't know how, but he instinctively knew his father's death had been Shinra's fault. He would find out and make them pay one day.

"Dari boy," Mr. Baynes said, "this Materia is very young. Not even a day old. And you say you've had it for over five years?"

"Yes sir, Mr. Baynes. It was a birthday gift from my father."

"Well, then, there's only one possibility. That Materia is gone. It matured into Master Materia and fell out of your weapon. It's probably lost forever."

What happened yesterday hit Darian like a ton of bricks, but he kept his cool. _The Master Materia is now in the right hand of the gun-armed man._

"Yeah, I think you're right, Mr. Baynes. Win some, lose some, right?" Darian asked with a smirk, turning to leave.

"That's right, junior! Hey, you take care, my boy!"

"You too, Mr. Baynes! See ya!"

Darian walked briskly to the beaches. A few people were there, mostly lying around. No one was in the water.

Darian took a seat, laying his staff down next to him. Darian looked out across the water, seeing nothing noteworthy. He just came to sit and think. And relax.

"Is this seat taken?"

Darian looked up. Fabiola was looking down at him, smiling a conciliatory smile.

"Hey. Sure. Have a seat." Darian wasn't thrilled to see her. She had run off yesterday after Sylvain was killed.

Fabiola sat down after smoothing out an area of sand. "Look. I'm sorry. I should have done something. I at least should have stayed with you. I heard about what happened. We all should have stayed."

"It's okay. No, you might have all been killed. I probably should have been. But it's okay." Darian knew he was angry at her for no real reason whatsoever. "Hey, don't you leave for Midgar today?"

Fabiola looked out across the ocean. "No. I'm not going. I can't place my livelihood in Shinra's hands now. I don't want to make money for them. Not after they killed Sylvain."

Darian sighed sorrowfully. "I know."

"We were going to get married, you know? And they took him away from me. Just because he didn't want innocent people to die."

Darian didn't speak. He had no idea that Fabiola and Sylvain were planning to get married. But Darian could never really read girls. Not even one so close to him.

"I just wanted to apologize about yesterday, Dar. I gotta go. Call me if you need anything." Fabiola embraced him tightly.

Darian returned the embrace. _How many lives is Shinra going to ruin?_

Fabiola got up and walked away. After a time, it seemed as though she was never there.

---

It was nighttime again. Darian was standing at the seawall again, the Sister Ray still pointing westward, still ready to deal death.

Darian began walking home when he felt a tapping at his shoulder. He whirled around to face...Barret Wallace.

"Geez! What are you doing here?" Darian whispered harshly. "You talking to me could get us both in trouble if we're spotted!"

"Really? I had no idea," Barret chuckled, "but I'm not stayin' long. I just came back to say thanks...for lettin' me use this."

Barret held up the Master Luck Materia. Five years worth of experience had saved two lives. Darian gazed at it with a smile, as though a long gone friend had returned to him.

"I also wanted to reward you on behalf of AVALANCHE. I know 500 gil ain't a lot, but it's jes'a little -"

"What is AVALANCHE?"

"AVALANCHE is my resistance group. I ain't stoppin' 'til Shinra is destroyed forever," Barret said proudly.

"You know what?" Darian paused to think. He wanted to delay the decision. A solitary voice echoing in his mind asked him to stay behind and not get involved. But Darian knew what he wanted to do. He knew what he had to do. "Put your gil away. You can pay me after my first mission."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I want to join you. I'm a pretty good fighter, and I'm as motivated as anyone to take Shinra down."

"Well, we don't pay our people. I mean, we take whatever we can get our -"

"Then don't pay me. But I will join you. Mr. - what's your name?"

Barret smiled. He didn't know how good the kid was, but AVALANCHE could use all the help they could get.

"Wallace. Barret Wallace," Barret said, extending his left hand.

"And I'm Darian Provnos," Darian said, placing his right hand into Barret's left. They shook hands. "When do we leave? And where are we going?"

"I can't tell you that now. Not here. But we leave as soon as you're ready. Do you need to take anything with you?"

"I've got everything I'll need with me. We could leave right now," Darian declared.

"Great! Let's do this," Barret said excitedly.

They backtracked stealthily through Upper Junon, Lower Junon and back into Junon Harbor. The Mountain/River Chocobo waited for them at the edge of town, grazing. Darian remembered one little detail.

"Hey Barret - could you wait here a second?"

"Sure, kid. You forget sumthin'?"

"You could say that," Darian said with a grin.

Darian walked up to the front door of his house. He hoped his mother would still be awake.


End file.
